Florida State football did not have the 2025 season that it wanted, as it finished with a 5-7 record. The Seminole fan base is struggling with the idea of the arch-rival Miami Hurricanes being successful in the College Football Playoff.
The biggest victory for the Hurricanes is that they secured offensive and defensive linemen to build a foundation for the future. Head football coach Mario Cristobal is known for his coaching history as someone who prioritizes the trenches.
The success of the Hurricanes has been highlighted by beating Texas A&M, Ohio State, and Ole Miss during their College Football Playoff run. The national championship game will be against Indiana, which is college football's poster child right now.
Fernando Mendoza will look to play well in his hometown against the Hurricanes
The Heisman Trophy winner was quarterback Fernando Mendoza, and he was the main reason behind the Hoosiers being undefeated this year. Mendoza transferred to Indiana from California this past offseason.
The signal-caller was productive with the Golden Bears, but he did not beat Florida State in the 2024 meeting, where they lost by a score of 14-9. Leave it up to head football coach Mike Norvell to beat Mendoza in one of his seven wins over the past two seasons.
Florida State fans don't want to see Miami win a national championship. It will set the Seminoles' program back far. As a result, the Florida State faithful will be cheering for Fernando Mendoza and Indiana, beating the Hurricanes.
It could make it so much sweeter that Mendoza is from Columbus High School in Miami, Florida, which is near Miami's campus. The quarterback was a former three-star prospect and was considered the 138th-best signal-caller in the 2022 cycle, according to 247Sports Composite.
This isn't to say that Mendoza should have been a target for the Miami coaching staff during his recruiting process because he was a low three-star prospect. However, the quarterback will have a chip on his shoulder with Miami being the hometown.
Indiana has dominated opponents this year, and the Seminole fan base hopes that Cristobal and the Hurricanes lose in embarrassing fashion.